Jackson stroke services recognized with Gold award

MIAMI – Jackson Memorial Hospital has received the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. The award recognizes commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted guidelines.

More than 800 stroke patients are admitted annually to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The stroke center has a dedicated medical staff committed to saving lives through the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency room.

Brain imaging scans, patient evaluations and clot-busting medications are available 24/7. The stroke team includes neurologists, neurointerventionalists, vascular neurosurgeons, vascular neurology accredited fellows and the region’s largest team of neuro-critical care specialists.

“Our comprehensive stroke center at Jackson is not only the largest comprehensive stroke center in South Florida, but it has also received this outstanding quality ranking from the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Program,” said Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S., FAHA, FAAA, chief of the neurology at Jackson Memorial Hospital, professor and Olemberg chair of neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, executive director, McKnight Brain Institute, and past president of the American Heart Association.

STROKE SIGNS

Stroke is the fourth cause of death and a leading cause of serious, longterm disability in America. May is American Stroke Month, and the Jackson Health System urges everyone to learn the stroke warning signs, because time lost is brain lost.

F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember and spot the sudden signs of stroke in order to call 911 for help right away. F.A.S.T. is:Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?

Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, such as, “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

Time to call 911. If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time in order to know when the first symptoms appeared.

PREVENTION

According to the National Stroke Association, 80 percent of all strokes are preventable. Research has shown that living a healthy lifestyle can reduce stroke risk — controlling high blood pressure; not smoking; controlling cholesterol levels; maintaining a healthy diet; being physically active; maintaining a healthy body weight; managing diabetes; and drinking alcohol moderately or not at all.